In the midst of examining an ancient Icelandic manuscript, professor and mineralogist Otto Liedenbrock and his nephew Axel make an astonishing discovery.

5 out of 5 stars

Easy listen!

By
Anonymous User
on
25-05-20

The Mysterious Island

By:
Jules Verne

Narrated by:
David McCallion

Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
9

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
8

Story

4 out of 5 stars
8

Like many Jules Verne classics,
The Mysterious Island takes you on an unforgettable journey of adventure and reflection. During the American Civil War, a group of Union soldiers escape their confederate captors when they steal a balloon. What they didn't anticipate is the violent storm that awaits them and leads them into uncharted territory.

4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

By
ne5566
on
21-11-18

Around the World in Eighty Days

By:
Jules Verne

Narrated by:
Bill Homewood

Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
72

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
68

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
68

Undoubtedly one of the most celebrated tales of all time, this is both high-octane thriller and fascinating travelogue. Phileas Fogg, intrepid Victorian gentleman about town, accepts a wager that he cannot travel around the world in 80 days. Naturally, he immediately sets off, accompanied by his French manservant, Passepartout. They are pursued by a police officer, Detective Fix, who is foolishly convinced that Fogg is a bank robber. Much hilarity ensues.

5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Gripping

By
Kyle Smith
on
25-07-17

Around the World in 80 Days

By:
Jules Verne

Narrated by:
Michael Scott

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
25

Performance

2.5 out of 5 stars
25

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
23

"Around the World in 80 Days" is an entertaining and light story about Phileas Fogg, a wealthy bachelor who makes a wager with a friend at his club regarding how long it would take for a person to circumnavigate the globe. Not wanting to lose his bet, he immediately embarks on a trip around the world with his valet Passepartout. Follow along on their extravagant adventure on a number of fascinating transportation modes that must be fully completed within 80 days or the bet is lost.

1 out of 5 stars

Not worth 78p

By
"sajm422"
on
09-12-19

From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon

By:
Jules Verne

Narrated by:
Bill Homewood

Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
3

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
3

Story

5 out of 5 stars
3

Bored with inactivity following the end of the Civil War, the fanatical members of the American Gun Club in Baltimore look for a project to fulfill their passion for rearms. Their distinguished President, Impey Barbicane, proposes an exciting new endeavor - one that will cement their names in history: They will build the largest projectile ever known to man and shoot it at the moon! The bullet will be hollowed to accommodate Barbicane and two bold companions, along with their dog, and they will claim the moon as America's 37th state.

5 out of 5 stars

classic, brilliant, masterpiece. A visionary work

By
JJ
on
11-05-20

H. G. Wells Sci-Fi Omnibus: Four Great Novels

By:
H. G. Wells

Narrated by:
Greg Wagland

Length: 23 hrs and 18 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
100

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
90

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
89

H. G. Wells is rightly regarded as one of the founding fathers of the science fiction genre. This compilation of nearly 20 hours' duration comprises four of his finest sci-fi works, and they really need little introduction. They are, in order: The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon and The Island of Doctor Moreau. They are complete and unabridged and narrated by Greg Wagland.

5 out of 5 stars

Omnibus Book Starting Points

By
SVN
on
20-02-17

Journey to the Center of the Earth

By:
Jules Verne,
Frederick Amadeus Malleson - translator

Narrated by:
Derek Perkins

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
16

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
13

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
13

In the midst of examining an ancient Icelandic manuscript, professor and mineralogist Otto Liedenbrock and his nephew Axel make an astonishing discovery.

5 out of 5 stars

Easy listen!

By
Anonymous User
on
25-05-20

The Mysterious Island

By:
Jules Verne

Narrated by:
David McCallion

Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
9

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
8

Story

4 out of 5 stars
8

Like many Jules Verne classics,
The Mysterious Island takes you on an unforgettable journey of adventure and reflection. During the American Civil War, a group of Union soldiers escape their confederate captors when they steal a balloon. What they didn't anticipate is the violent storm that awaits them and leads them into uncharted territory.

4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

By
ne5566
on
21-11-18

Around the World in Eighty Days

By:
Jules Verne

Narrated by:
Bill Homewood

Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
72

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
68

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
68

Undoubtedly one of the most celebrated tales of all time, this is both high-octane thriller and fascinating travelogue. Phileas Fogg, intrepid Victorian gentleman about town, accepts a wager that he cannot travel around the world in 80 days. Naturally, he immediately sets off, accompanied by his French manservant, Passepartout. They are pursued by a police officer, Detective Fix, who is foolishly convinced that Fogg is a bank robber. Much hilarity ensues.

5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Gripping

By
Kyle Smith
on
25-07-17

Around the World in 80 Days

By:
Jules Verne

Narrated by:
Michael Scott

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
25

Performance

2.5 out of 5 stars
25

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
23

"Around the World in 80 Days" is an entertaining and light story about Phileas Fogg, a wealthy bachelor who makes a wager with a friend at his club regarding how long it would take for a person to circumnavigate the globe. Not wanting to lose his bet, he immediately embarks on a trip around the world with his valet Passepartout. Follow along on their extravagant adventure on a number of fascinating transportation modes that must be fully completed within 80 days or the bet is lost.

1 out of 5 stars

Not worth 78p

By
"sajm422"
on
09-12-19

From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon

By:
Jules Verne

Narrated by:
Bill Homewood

Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
3

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
3

Story

5 out of 5 stars
3

Bored with inactivity following the end of the Civil War, the fanatical members of the American Gun Club in Baltimore look for a project to fulfill their passion for rearms. Their distinguished President, Impey Barbicane, proposes an exciting new endeavor - one that will cement their names in history: They will build the largest projectile ever known to man and shoot it at the moon! The bullet will be hollowed to accommodate Barbicane and two bold companions, along with their dog, and they will claim the moon as America's 37th state.

5 out of 5 stars

classic, brilliant, masterpiece. A visionary work

By
JJ
on
11-05-20

H. G. Wells Sci-Fi Omnibus: Four Great Novels

By:
H. G. Wells

Narrated by:
Greg Wagland

Length: 23 hrs and 18 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
100

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
90

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
89

H. G. Wells is rightly regarded as one of the founding fathers of the science fiction genre. This compilation of nearly 20 hours' duration comprises four of his finest sci-fi works, and they really need little introduction. They are, in order: The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon and The Island of Doctor Moreau. They are complete and unabridged and narrated by Greg Wagland.

5 out of 5 stars

Omnibus Book Starting Points

By
SVN
on
20-02-17

A Study in Scarlet

By:
Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by:
Stephen Scalon

Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
3

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
3

Story

5 out of 5 stars
2

In A Study in Scarlet, Holmes and Watson's first mystery, the pair are summoned to a south London house where they find a dead man whose contorted face is a twisted mask of horror. The body is unmarked by violence but on the wall a mysterious word has been written in blood. The police are baffled by the crime and its circumstances. But when Sherlock Holmes applies his brilliantly logical mind to the problem he uncovers a tragic tale of love and deadly revenge.

Treasure Island

By:
Robert Louis Stevenson

Narrated by:
Sam Taylor

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3 out of 5 stars
20

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
18

Story

4 out of 5 stars
19

For sheer storytelling delight and pure adventure, Treasure Island has never been surpassed. From the moment young Jim Hawkins first encounters the sinister Blind Pew at the Admiral Benbow Inn until the climactic battle for treasure on a tropic isle, the nevel creates scenes and characters that have firetd the imaginations of generations of readers. Written by a superb prose stylist, a master of both action and atmosphere, the story centers upon the conflict between good and evil - but in this case a particularly engaging form of evil.

1 out of 5 stars

Sorry 😐

By
Holly Williams
on
01-06-20

Marie

By:
H. Rider Haggard

Narrated by:
Shelly Frasier

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Unabridged

Overall

0 out of 5 stars
0

Performance

0 out of 5 stars
0

Story

0 out of 5 stars
0

Allan Quatermain, hero of King Solomon's mines, tells a moving tale of his first wife, the Dutch-born Marie Marais, and the adventures that were linked to her beautiful, tragic history. This moving story depicts the tumultuous political era of the 1830s, involving the Boers, French colonists and the Zulu tribe in the Cape colony of South Africa. Hate and suspicion run high between the home government and the Dutch subjects.

The Mysterious Island

By:
Jules Verne,
Jordan Stump - translator

Narrated by:
Berny Clark

Length: 19 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
85

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
71

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
71

Based on the true story of Alexander Selkirk, who survived alone for almost five years on an uninhabited island off the coast of Chile, The Mysterious Island is considered by many to be Jules Verne’s masterpiece. “Wide-eyed mid-nineteenth-century humanistic optimism in a breezy, blissfully readable translation by Stump” (Kirkus Reviews), here is the enthralling tale of five men and a dog who land in a balloon on a faraway, fantastic island of bewildering goings-on and their struggle to survive....

5 out of 5 stars

in the words of Pencroft, Hoorah!

By
G. Stewart
on
20-07-15

The Lost World

By:
Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by:
John Richmond

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
225

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
196

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
197

Released in 1912, it tells the story of an expedition to a plateau in the Amazon basin where prehistoric animals still survive. The character of Professor Challenger was introduced in this book. The novel also describes a war between Native Americans and a vicious tribe of ape-like creatures.

4 out of 5 stars

A brilliant adventure but of its time be warned

By
Andy
on
02-05-18

The Arabian Nights (AmazonClassics Edition)

By:
Andrew Lang

Narrated by:
Neil Shah

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
9

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
9

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
9

The vengeful King Schahriar agrees to stave off the execution of Queen Scheherazade until she finishes a particularly compelling story. Her plan? Bleed one tale into another. Through fanciful histories, romances, tragedies, comedies, poems, riddles, and songs, Scheherazade prolongs her life by holding the king’s rapt attention. With origins in Persian and Eastern Indian folklore, the stories of The Arabian Nights have been reworked, reshaped, revised, collected, and supplemented throughout the centuries by various authors and scholars.

5 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyed it :)

By
Cornelia Baciu
on
30-05-18

Gulliver's Travels

Penguin English Library

By:
Jonathan Swift

Narrated by:
Hugh Laurie

Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins

Abridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
25

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
21

Story

4 out of 5 stars
21

A savage and hilarious satire, Gulliver's Travels sees Lemuel Gulliver shipwrecked and adrift, subject to bizarre and unnerving encounters with - among others - quarrelling Lilliputians, philosophising horses, and the brutish Yahoo tribe that change his view of humanity - and himself - forever. Swift's classic of 1726 portrays mankind in a distorted hall of mirrors as a diminished, magnified, and finally, bestial species, presenting us with a comical yet uncompromising reflection of ourselves.

4 out of 5 stars

well cast narrator

By
Rocco
on
02-09-16

War and Peace (AmazonClassics Edition)

By:
Leo Tolstoy,
Louise Maude - translator,
Aylmer Maude - translator

Narrated by:
Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 55 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
4

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
3

Story

5 out of 5 stars
3

In early nineteenth-century Russia, the threat of Napoleon’s invasion looms, and the lives of millions are about to be changed forever. This includes Pierre Bezúkhov, illegitimate son of an aristocrat; Andrew Bolkónski, ambitious military scion; and Natásha Rostóva, compassionate daughter of a nobleman. All of them are unprepared for what lies ahead. Alongside their fellow compatriots - a catalog of enduring literary characters - Pierre, Andrew, and Natásha will be irrevocably torn between fate and free will.

Classic Tales of Mystery

By:
Wilkie Collins,
Rudyard Kipling,
Arthur Conan Doyle,
and others

Narrated by:
Sean Barrett,
Liza Ross,
Stephen Thorne,
and others

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
32

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
23

Story

4 out of 5 stars
23

Sixteen classic stories.

5 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyable..... totally entertained

By
joparkrd
on
09-03-20

The Iliad

By:
Homer,
Ian Johnston (translator)

Narrated by:
Anton Lesser

Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
200

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
145

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
143

Perhaps the greatest poem of the Western world,
The Iliad tells the story of 50 critical days towards the end of the Trojan war. Achilles has quarrelled with Agamemnon and sulks in his tent, while Hector brings his Trojans to the brink of victory; but fate will have the last word.

Jules Verne's two novels featuring Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island), condensed down to two thrilling hours. In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, marine scientist Professor Aronnax and his stowaway daughter, Connie, join whaler Ned Land aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln to hunt an aggressive sea monster, believed to be a giant narwhale. When they engage the monster, they find to their astonish­ment it's an electrically powered submarine, the Nautilus, techno­logically far superior to any vessel known.

4 out of 5 stars

good story well read

By
barney
on
25-09-19

Ivanhoe

By:
Sir Walter Scott

Narrated by:
David Rintoul

Length: 19 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
6

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
6

Story

5 out of 5 stars
6

Written in 1819 but set in 12th-century England, Ivanhoe is a tale of love struggling to survive against a violent backdrop of politics and war. Wilfred of Ivanhoe was thrown out of his father's home when he fell in love with his father Cedric's ward, Lady Rowena. Ivanhoe later returns from fighting in the Crusades and is wounded in a jousting tournament. A series of events follows, including the return of King Richard to England, resulting in Ivanhoe's reconciliation with Cedric and his marriage to Rowena.

Summary

The most exciting underwater adventure ever!

In 1866 a mysterious giant whale savagely attacks ships in international seas. A famous French marine biologist, Pierre Aronnax, joins the hunt to track down and incapacitate the creature. With him are his loyal servant, Conseil, and redoubtable Canadian harpooner Ned Land. They soon find that their enemy is no sea beast but a brilliantly designed submarine. They are captured and imprisoned by its master, the sinister Captain Nemo. The story is relentlessly thrilling while containing beautifully written observations of underwater life.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea has been hugely influential on popular culture, having inspired several stage and film adaptations, including a Walt Disney film with Kirk Douglas. Captain Nemo also appears as a main character in the graphic novel and film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Bill Homewood's distinctive voice is perfect for the French classics: He has previously read The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Three Musketeers for Naxos AudioBooks and is "...a narrator so perfectly matched to his material that you can't help but smile" (The Times).

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Pure adventure!

This is an outstanding piece of sci-fi. It is mind blowing to think Verne wrote it before a lot of the science and technology he describes in the book was invented. The guy came from the future. The story is great and entertaining. You also learn so much about science, philosophy, history and marine biology: it's an encyclopaedia inside a novel. I wanted to listen to it in French (in the language it was originally written) but the French narrator was just awful and I just couldn't see myself listening to this guy massacre this book for 17hrs. So I opted for this English version and it is definitively a good choice.

Not the most exciting story

There was way too much detail about fish and position. It seemed like whole chapters were about the fish they were seeing. There were some exciting parts but these were too few in number. I started listening to this because I really couldn't finish reading it. Had I put it down when I thought I should then that would have been fine and I could have used my credit on something better.

Also the ending was a bit lackluster... Hey, maybe it was just me. Many people before me have really enjoyed this book and I'm sure many people after me will too enjoy this book.

"Around the world in 80 days" is more fun. Or perhaps read "the lost world" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Both of these were good fun.

very unsatisfying ending

the premise of the book is fascinating and the imagination gone into writing it, vivid. however, the author raises several questions about Captain Nemo throughout the book but fails to resolve them in a satisfactory manner.another annoying aspect of the book is the inclusion of dozens of very long passages that simply inventory sea life or provide lessons in geography. because of that, the actual plot is very thin.very well read by Bill Homewood, though.

Fantastic narrator and fantastic story

The story is fantastic however the details can become tedious at times. Very enjoyable though

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Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Tad Davis

19-06-16

A good one

A good reading of this complex masterpiece. It starts with a complete translation, which only a handful of Verne audiobooks do: the ones narrated by James Frain and Norman Dietz are among this handful. Most Americans are unaware of just how hacked up most translations of Verne are; this is one of the better ones. (If the book starts with the sentence "The year 1866 was signalised by..." put it back on the shelf: it's a notoriously bad and butchered translation.)

Bill Homewood has a formal style of narration, complete with trilled Rs, but it lends itself well to some of the lyrical descriptions of nature that appear here. I wouldn't mind hearing a few more Verne books narrated by him.

LATER NOTE: the translation Naxos used for this — an excellent one — is by FP Walter, and though recent, it’s in the public domain. Should you want to carry your interest in Verne further, note that Walter re-translated the book as part of his “Amazing Journeys” anthology (SUNY Press, 2010), which also includes new translations of Journey to the Center of the Earth, From the Earth to the Moon, Circling the Moon, and Around the World In 80 Days. That volume reflects his latest understanding of the novel. Other excellent translations include those by William Butcher (Oxford), Anthony Bonner (Bantam), and David Coward (Penguin).

23 people found this helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Priscilla Spiga

17-05-20

A dream audiobook

The narrator is magic and the story is so full of events, marvellous adventures and long enough for you to feel part of it. Wish to find an illustrated book of it now. Thank you for this journey!

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

RB

21-02-20

A very remarkable tale worth a second listen.

Enjoyable from beginning to end, Allowing your imagination to run free! Finely executed, the listener can sit back and soak in the vastness of the sea all awhile being spurred to adventure!

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

3 out of 5 stars

Hamza

12-02-19

Passion for the seas

I read this classic as a child and was drawn into the plot by the detail of the world under the seas. Now listening to Bill Homewood narrating the story of the enigma that is Captain Nemo, I realize how much man knows about the marine world and how little the average man cares to study and learn from.

The story is still as riveting as I found it as a child but ending in an anticlimax. The superb narration buffs up the quality of the experience nevertheless. Great for a casual listen particularly when traveling around coastal territories.

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

ben

22-10-18

Great narration but meh story

Hope you really want to learn about oceanic life. Cuz you will. Overall story is decent but far too much time is taken by classifying and explaining the nuances of marine life. Glad I did this by audio book... never would have made it through. All in all worth a listen.

1 person found this helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

GABlue82

08-12-17

Great book

the story is a bit slow, not Lord of the rings slow, but the list of fish seen gets a bit tiresome at points. otherwise, this book, a true classic, is amazing.

Overall

3 out of 5 stars

Performance

3 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Juli A. Dunn

10-05-17

A Little Flat

This was well-written (well, it *is* a classic, after all) if a little description-heavy, and the reader's voice made for very pleasant listening. However, the reader's voice was so calm and mellow, it made the more exciting bits...not very. There was also very little of the more violent emotion shown in the reading - which might be fairly accurate as this is a first-person narrative and the more violent emotions come from other people. All-in-all, I enjoyed this but found it more soothing and interesting than exciting. I feel that Jules Verne was probably going for exciting so judge for yourself whether this is positive or negative.

1 person found this helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

israel

18-08-16

A whale of a tale!

This is the world's best story. l know that everyone says that about their favorite book, but I will never forget this tale.

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

brian

02-04-18

Best Science fiction of all time

this is so often forgotten in the genre of science fiction, but it is, in my opinion, one of the first, and best.